Scientific capabilities of the advanced light source for radioactive materials

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is a third-generation synchrotron radiation light source and is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national user facility. Currently, the ALS has approximately forty-five operational beamlines spanning a spectrum of scientific disciplines, and provides scientific opportunities for more than 2 000 users a year. Access to the resources of the ALS is through a competitive proposal mechanism within the general user program. Several ALS beamlines are currently being employed for a range of radioactive materials investigations. These experiments are reviewed individually relying on a graded hazard approach implemented by the ALS in conjunction with the LBNL Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH and S) Radiation Protection Program. The ALS provides radiological work authorization and radiological control technician support and assistance for accepted user experimental programs. LBNL has several radioactive laboratory facilities located near the ALS that provide support for ALS users performing experiments with radioactive materials. The capabilities of the ALS beamlines for investigating radioactive materials are given and examples of several past studies are summarised. (author)